Piece of Surf City history emerges after Sandy

A section of the William H. Sumner, a three-masted schooner whose young captain died under suspicious circumstances after running the ship aground in 1919, has been protruding from the sand a short distance from the Dolphin Street beach access.

Submitted photo

By TRISTA TALTON - Wilmington StarNews

Published: Monday, November 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM.

A piece of history unique to Surf City emerged on the beach when Hurricane Sandy skirted Topsail Island’s shore, drawing curious onlookers who are reminded to look, but not touch.

A section of the William H. Sumner, a three-masted schooner whose young captain died under suspicious circumstances after running the ship aground in 1919, has been protruding from the sand a short distance from the Dolphin Street beach access.

The wreckage is a chunk of the ship that floated ashore when the Coast Guard blasted the vessel shortly after it ran aground, to remove the navigation hazard, said Nathan Henry, assistant state archaeologist and conservator with the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology.

“This piece broke completely off of the wreck,” Henry said. “It’s really been there for quite some time. At this point it’s in a perfect place. It will last under that sand just being exposed every once in a while. For that reason we really prefer that these things stay in place.”

At least part of the 489-ton, 165-foot ship is believed to be resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near the southern end of the island. Erosion caused by strong coastal storms routinely exposes what has been identified as a side portion of the ship.

A large frame of the ship that once rested on the shore is in the state archaeology lab in Fort Fisher. Henry said he moved the frame to the lab after a group of fishermen was caught trying to illegally remove it from the beach about a year ago.

A piece of history unique to Surf City emerged on the beach when Hurricane Sandy skirted Topsail Island’s shore, drawing curious onlookers who are reminded to look, but not touch.

A section of the William H. Sumner, a three-masted schooner whose young captain died under suspicious circumstances after running the ship aground in 1919, has been protruding from the sand a short distance from the Dolphin Street beach access.

The wreckage is a chunk of the ship that floated ashore when the Coast Guard blasted the vessel shortly after it ran aground, to remove the navigation hazard, said Nathan Henry, assistant state archaeologist and conservator with the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology.

“This piece broke completely off of the wreck,” Henry said. “It’s really been there for quite some time. At this point it’s in a perfect place. It will last under that sand just being exposed every once in a while. For that reason we really prefer that these things stay in place.”

At least part of the 489-ton, 165-foot ship is believed to be resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near the southern end of the island. Erosion caused by strong coastal storms routinely exposes what has been identified as a side portion of the ship.

A large frame of the ship that once rested on the shore is in the state archaeology lab in Fort Fisher. Henry said he moved the frame to the lab after a group of fishermen was caught trying to illegally remove it from the beach about a year ago.

The state claims all abandoned shipwrecks still in the water.

Surf City Mayor Zander Guy said when the wreckage was initially exposed more than 10 years ago it was a public safety concern. Large iron bolts used to hold the ship’s frame together eventually erode into spikes – a potential hazard to beachgoers.

The state can permit beach towns to relocate and re-bury ship wreckage, Henry said.

For the most part, beach towns leave the artifacts in place, giving a residents and visitors a rare glimpse of the past outside of museum walls.

Henry said the Sumner is a valuable resource unique to Surf City since most shipwrecks on the North Carolina coast are in the Outer Banks. He encourages anyone intrigued by the wreckage to “look and enjoy.”

Archaeologists have studied the ship, a “heavily-built” vessel that hauled lumber and phosphate rock for about 30 years. On Sept. 7, 1919, it was sailing precariously close to the shore, catching the attention of swimmers and sunbathers at Wrightsville Beach.

Shortly after it ran aground, the Sumner’s 24-year-old captain was dead. His ship’s mate, Charles L. Lacey, claimed that his boss, Robert E. Cockram, shot himself to death. This was Cockram’s first command after a promotion only two weeks before.

But evidence pointed to foul play, and Lacey was charged with murder. He was convicted of the crime but later acquitted in an appeal.